3D Artists from Over 65 Countries

Rendering software has come a long way in the past 10 years. Technology coupled with an industry-wide demand for high-quality imaging has forced architects and designers to pump out life-like renderings of their work.

Rendering
software has come a long way in the past 10 years. Technology coupled with an
industry-wide demand for high-quality imaging has forced architects and
designers to pump out life-like renderings of their work. Thankfully, now you
won’t need a server farm and a Master’s degree in computer sciences to do it.
It’s all there right at your fingertips - your Dorito-covered, sleep-deprived
fingertips.

In fact,
there are so many options when it comes to effective rendering plug ins and
modeling software, it can become overwhelming and chaotic. The default for most
is to use whatever was first put into your hands in school - your x-acto-cut,
glue-crusted hands.

However,
if you’re new to the game, or perhaps looking to expand your software knowledge
repertoire, it’s good to know what’s good, what’s bad, and what will make the
most of the tools you’re looking for. The following collection of rendering
software doesn’t cover everything that’s available, but it does represent the
most popular programs used by architects, artists, and designers.

1 | VRay

VRay is
the digital cream of the crop: the golden child that’s risen to the top of
visualization software in the past 5 years. Developed by the Chaos Group, VRay
is touted for its vast library of textures, and second-to-none realism. If
you’re a designer looking to recreate the most accurate real-life conditions, colours,
light and shadow, you’ll want to have VRay in your back pocket.

With insane
flexibility and a robust variety of options, VRay can get complicated for
beginners. The good news is there are plenty of online tutorials and lessons to
get you on the fast track to producing picture perfect renderings of your
conceptual work. Light and shadow - often referred to as an architect’s only
real tools - are VRay’s bread and butter. One can only dream what Alvar Aalto
would have dreamed with such visualization power.

VRay is
compatible as a plug in with 3DSMax, Cinema 4D (see below), Google Sketch-up,
Autodesk Revit, among others. Its versatility adds another level of intrigue
for those who like to switch between modeling softwares.

2 | Mental Ray

Mental
Ray is probably the one render engine on this list that earns the closest
comparison to VRay. Opinions of the two vary widely depending on who you talk
to, many of which are based solely on personal preference and brand loyalty.
Mental Ray tends to be a bit more user friendly, while not quite reaching the
quality and level of realism VRay is capable of. I say po-tay-to po-tah-to. Mental Ray is a great product that deserves
its reputation as a top-tier renderer.

Mental
Images (owned by popular graphics card maker NVIDIA) developed mental ray in
2007 in an attempt to produce a universal rendering engine that could be used
by a wide range of designers and artists. It’s particularly useful for
architects because of its versatility and ease of use. While there is a lot to
learn here, it tends to be a bit more accessible to first time users. You’d be
amazed at what Mental Ray is capable of in the right hands.

3 | Maxwell

Many
complain that Maxwell is slow. And it is. But if you have the time to wait for
greatness, look no further. People who use Maxwell swear by it, and it’s easy
to see why. Maxwell uses a unique lighting engine it calls ‘unbiased
rendering,’ which uses real-life modeling techniques rather than tricks and
shortcuts other renderers use. The trade-off for realistic lighting is the
lengthy render times that can result from complex, high resolution images.

A
helpful addition to the visualization software is Maxwell Fire: a lightning
fast engine that allows you to see a grainy version of the render you are about
to queue up. This low-res image accurately forecasts lighting, colour, and
materiality without the wait. This is a great addition for architects and
designers as it allows you to block out a presentation or deliverable without
spending precious hours waiting for the slog of a print-quality render. The
Slogging will still happen, but only when you’re physically and emotionally
ready for it.

4 | Octane Render

With a
name like “Octane Render” blowing in your sail, you better be rippin’ waves and
turning out a gnarly wake of fast, furious, real-world quality images. Nautical
metaphor aside, Octane has a lot to offer designers and architects even though
it isn’t one of the big, well-known names in the world of visualization.

Octane
is the up and comer. The new guy with a chip on his shoulder and a feather in
his cap. This is both good and bad. With something to prove, Octane offers a
slick features under the hood that it uses in attempt to stand out against the
mainstays like VRay and Mental Ray. Namely, Octane uses the power of your
graphics card to do a lot of the rendering calculations. As long as you have
the resources to dedicate to this, it’s a huge plus. If you have a high end
graphics card this will dramatically reduce rendering times.

On the
other hand, Octane doesn’t have the wealth of resources that many of the others
on this list do. That will change, or course, with time. Just keep in mind you
might spend a bit more time searching for tutorials, lessons, or other free
internet type help. Also keep in mind Octane only works with NVIDIA cards,
which should deter any ATI users out there.

5 | Cinema 4D

Not just
3D modeling software. More than a mere renderer. Cinema 4D is the total
package, giving users the power of having 3D modeling and presentation quality
3D rendering capabilities in the same tidy package. Build. Model. Texture.
Animate. Render. Anything (almost) is possible with Cinema 4D, as long as you
have the time to dig in deep. There is lots to do here, which is great but can
suck the life out of your days and nights. Keep a Red Bull dispensing cowboy
had handy and you’ll be just fine.

Also, If
you’re one of the defiant architects who swears by ArchiCAD or Vectorworks,
you’ll want to put Cinema 4D at the top of your list of add-ons. The programs
work seamlessly together like the four alternative kids on the playground sword
fighting with twigs while everyone else is playing four square. They’re
different, but inseparable.

6 | Modo

Despite
a lack of mainstream name recognition, Modo might well be the piece of 3D
software on this list best suited for architects. Like Cinema 4D, Modo is an
all-in-one 3D modeler equipped with a powerful on-board rendering engine. Where
Modo sets itself apart is the ability to model and render within the same app.
No more switching between different halves of the same program, handling
cumbersome imports/exports and screaming at your computer screen in fits of
common sense rage. Modo leaves the middle man behind in favor of a program that
goes back and forth on the fly.

Furthermore,
while most of the renderers on this list have preview capabilities, Modo is
actually the fastest of the bunch. Even with a limited amount of computing
power, Modo allows you to preview scenes with realistic precision in a fraction
of the time of others on this list. A huge plus for architects looking for a
down and dirty program that works quickly, and works every time.

The one
thing Modo is lacking is options. If you’re in favor of controlling everything
(as many architects and designers are), Modo may not be for you. However, if
you’re looking for a clean bit of software that can do everything under one
roof without breaking the bank (retails at just under $1500), you can’t go
wrong here.

7 | 3DS Max

While
not necessarily the most critically acclaimed piece of software as it pertains
to rendering, no one can argue the popularity of 3DS Max. While many have moved
on to more realistic renderers such as VRay and Mental Ray, Max still comes
with an on-board renderer that can be used in a pinch (or an economic
downturn). Much like Modo and Cinema 4D, 3DS Max comes with an on-board
renderer that works in conjunction with the 3D modeling software. The advantage
to using 3DS is that it interfaces well with other Autodesk products such as
AutoCAD and Revit.

If you
are doing a lot of 3D modeling in Revit, 3DS Max’s renderer can become a
valuable asset. Revit has a renderer as well, but it’s pretty limited in its
flexibility and end-results. Max allows you to import your Revit models and
manipulate textures in a way that is much more intuitive than doing it in the
oftentimes clumsy Revit UI. For that, 3DS Max certainly has its merit.

Hope you
enjoyed this list! Moving forward with a new piece of software can be a
daunting task. Just remember that no matter the product you choose, hours of
work will be required to get the most out of it. These are complex tools that
must be learned before they can be mastered. Go in with that attitude and you
really can’t go wrong.